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Kerala gold smuggling case: Congress, BJP sharpen attack on CM Vijayan
The customs had seized 30 kg gold from a baggage addressed to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) consulate in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5. Later, the probe was handed over to the NIA.
The multi-agency team probing the Kerala gold smuggling case on Saturday carried out several raids in the state and detained many for questioning, a senior officer familiar with the developments said, adding the scope of inquiry will be widened by probing political and bureaucratic patronage to smuggling syndicates.
“Without strong patronage such a thriving syndicate can’t function in the state. Our inquiry will cover terror angle, hawala and political and bureaucratic patronage also. This time we will get to the bottom of the racket,” said the official.
The National Investigation Agency-led probe in the matter is generating enough political heat in the state. “We have nothing to fear. Let the guilty be punished. Some people are in a race to arrive at a conclusion but their designs will be short-lived,” said chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, adding there was a concerted bid to tarnish the image of the government. Those who are cheering will have to repent in the end, he said criticising the opposition.
The BJP and the Congress were unsparing in their criticism .
“Role of two high-ranking officials in the CM’s office, his former secretary M Sivasankar and former IT fellow Arun Balachandran, are out. Now the CM can’t wash off his hands,” said BJP state president K Surendran.
“Since powerful aides have gone it is time for him to follow,” said state Congress chief Mullapally Ramachandran.
The customs had seized 30 kg gold from a baggage addressed to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) consulate in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5. Later, the probe was handed over to the NIA.
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Enforcement Directorate, Intelligence Bureau and Income Tax are part of the ongoing investigation.
Meanwhile, a gunman of the Kerala police posted at the United Arab Emirate consulate allegedly tried to end his life on Friday, a day after he was reported missing by his family. But the customs suspect that this accident was aimed at covering up his alleged link with the gold smuggling racket. A senior official of the customs said the gunman will be questioned after his release from the hospital.
The man was working at the consular office for the last three years and before this he was posted at the immigration department at the Thiruvananthapuram airport. In the leaked call details of Swapna Suresh, second accused in the case, there were many calls to him and customs suspect he knew about the racket and accepted a share in return.
The CM has denied reports that the consulting agency PricewaterHouseCoopers (PHC) was dropped from the state ‘e Mobility Hub’ project. Earlier there were reports the CPI(M) central leadership was not happy with the way the state government engaged many international consultants and contract agencies. But he denied this report saying it was sheer imagination of some newsmen.
The state police had filed a cheating case against Suresh, PHC and a placement agency Vision Technology on July 13. During investigation it was found that Suresh had produced a fake degree certificate to secure a job at the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited, a state government undertaking. PHC and Vision Technology were authorised agencies responsible for verifying her educational documents, said the police. The case was registered under IPC sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) 465 forgery and 471 (using as genuine a forged document).
